A blog celebrating my journey through womanhood and everything that goes with it.

Saturday, October 21, 2017

The home deep clean is something we all have to endure at some point each month, but even just a good old-fashioned regular cleaning job can leave you feeling woozy and lightheaded. Here’s where the plot thickens, this isn’t because you were overexerting yourself. That’s right. It’s got less to do with elbow grease and more to do with cleaning products. Mmmmm hmmm, it’s all about the chemicals inside that bottle. Bad, huh?

Sure, these products may be designed to make your life easier, but the harmful chemicals they chuck in them could be making your life shorter. That’s where we step in because we want people to know that there is a way to go green with your cleaning routine, while also allowing you to achieve exactly the same results of glistening awesomeness. Better for the environment, better for your health and nicer smelling - what more could a domestic goddess need?

For those of you that aren’t crazy-scientific-let’s-mix-everyday-products-and-make-some-magic kind of people, then we recommend you visit CleanHappens.com and make the switch to cleaning products that can cut through grime, grease and dirt without compromising on safety. However, if you are excited by the prospect of unleashing your inner high school chemical student, then you really need to check out these super cleaners that are delivering on the eco-friendly side of things, as well as being epically effective. Double. Whammy.

There are tons of different sodas that are great at doing different things. You’ve got bicarbonate soda that you can clean silver and rust with, washing soda that is ace at removing stains and descaling appliances, and club soda that is equally talented on the stain removal front (especially from organic products). However, our favourite is baking soda because it is insane when it comes to cleaning, as this list by allyou.com will confirm. Pour some down a drain, add an equal amount of vinegar and then just watch as they react, creating a gorgeous foam that cleans drains and leaves them smelling impossibly better. If you’ve got kids then this is one that you really want them to watch. It proves science is the best.

A Sexy Little Thing Called Salt

Every household from here to Timbuktu has salt hidden away in one of the cupboards. What you may not realise, though, is that this salt can be used to clean, disinfect and deodorize a bunch of different parts of your home. Add salt and lemon juice together and you can battle back any rust. Turn it into a paste and you can clean your pots and pans, even the ones that you have managed to burn some stuff onto. Add salt to vinegar and flour and you will be able to shine up almost anything from stainless steel to pewter, gold to silver. That’s not all, either. You can also use salt to keep your other cleaning bits and bobs (read: sponges) germ-free and stench-free by simply leaving them to soak when not in use.

Vinegar Is Very, Very Good

We’ve mentioned vinegar a couple of times already, which is a testament to its powers as an accomplice. But that isn’t all. Oh no. This little household gem is a diamond in the rough because it is an all-rounder up there with the likes of Freddie Flintoff. Its secret weapon is its ability to cut through grease like a hot machete through butter. How you go about applying it is up to you, though. You could put it in a spray bottle - half and half with water - and then use it to clean mirrors, glass, windows or anything else that falls within that bell curve. You can use it on wood flooring to spruce up a bit or use it on food containers to disinfect. The winner of all winners though is using it to clean your shower heads and faucets. All that rust and stubborn mold will fall away like people leaving a concert. In short, vinegar is that gentle giant that could transform the way you cleaning - gentle for the home and tough on the areas you need to clean. It’s a win-win.

When life gives you lemons, forget about lemonade for a second and use this wondrous fruit to eliminate smells, clean surfaces and polish items. That’s right, this gorgeous, yellow beauty can do more than just make your face scrunch up. There isn’t too much to delve into, but it is great at eliminating grease, killing nasty little germs and leaving your place smelling fresher. Like a summer orchard in the south of Spain.

Olive Oil Is The Original Polisher

If you don’t have olive oil in your cupboards then who even are you? It is a must have for delicious cooking, and even a little bit of beauty work. But, more appropriately to our blog, it is also great for home cleaning. Mmmm hmmm. The best way to use it is for polishing things. Wood, metals, anything really. The point is it will bring up a nice shine that you can’t ignore or hate on. The other thing it is great for is leather. So if you have any leather products that are cracked a bit, worn a lot or just looking a tad dry then it is time to slap some olive oil on. It is also great for removing chewing gum, which could address an issue you are currently facing with your teenager, or it could make buying secondhand furniture a lot easier, who knows? Just make sure you add a little squeeze of lemon so that you get a nice aroma going.

The Russians have been telling us that vodka is invaluable for centuries. But would we listen? No. Well, we recently decided to and, guess what, we’re kicking ourselves slightly. It is amazing, especially when it comes to removing stains and odors from your laundry. Seriously. It will get rid of all those odors that no amount of washes seems to be able to cure. It is also great for polishing glass, and it does so without leaving any streaks, which is what we’ve always wanted. You can also polish metals and even porcelain too, as well as the stresses in your mind by just dropping an olive in and sipping on it frequently. Soon enough you’ll forget you had any cleaning to do whatsoever, which is a total bonus.

Super-Soap To The Rescue

So long as you choose a natural soap, the kind that is made from oils or fats (yup, just like in Fight Club) with an added dash of alkali, then you will be able to break down all those nasty, dirty greases that seem to be taking over your home. That’s its biggest superpower: it can be used on pretty much every surface in every room of your home - kitchen through to bedroom, office and bathroom. Even more epic is the fact it comes in a plethora of different forms. We’re talking powders, liquids, flakes and, every shower’s favourite, bars.

Hydrogen Peroxide Isn’t Just Hype

The reason why people tend to use hydrogen peroxide is that it is a safe alternative for bleach (which is something that comes with a whole host of health concerns). As for what to use hydrogen peroxide on, you can use it to deal with stains, mold, mildew and anything else of this ilk. The other thing it is used for is cleaning kitchens and bathrooms - but mainly kitchens - simply because it crushes germs and bacteria - especially that nasty sucker, Salmonella - quicker than life crushes dreams (joking!). It is basically an antiseptic cleaner that doesn’t have any of the harsh chemicals you are clearly worried about or else you wouldn’t be reading this blog.

And that is pretty much it.

Now whether or not you use all, some or none of these natural cleaning products is your prerogative, as Britney would say. The important thing to understand is that you don’t have to worry about your kid's health and safety, your pet’s allergies, or about pulling on a pair of elbow high yellow gloves, or wearing science-lab goggles out of fear of what the chemicals may do to your lifespan. Instead, you can clean every inch of your home using things you already have in your cupboards; things that will do a grand job and leave a great smell too. Vinegar. Salt. Lemon. Olive oil. Baking soda. Vodka. Each of these is epic at cleaning, disinfecting and deodorizing. But beyond that, they are also great for the environment and even better for your wallet. Oh, yeah, we haven’t mentioned that. Well, not to beat around the metaphorical bush, these things cost cents, not dollars (except Vodka, maybe), which means you will have more money to spend on the finer things in life.

We do hope we’ve piqued your curiosity enough to see you give it a go, and we would really love for you to send some pics in to prove they are amazing alternatives.

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About Me

Left the corporate world to pursue a lifelong dream of being a successful writer. I am a daughter, a sister, a wife, a mom and grandmom enjoying everyday with faith and love in my heart as I go on this journey called LIFE.

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I will persist until I succeed.

Nor will I allow yesterday's success to lull me into today's complacency, for this is the great foundation of failure. I will forget the happenings of the day that is gone, whether they were good or bad, and greet the new sun with confidence that this will be the best day of my life.

So long as there is breath in me, that long will I persist. For now I know one of the greatest principles of success; if I persist long enough I will win.